Adam P. Dicker Appointed Chairman of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University

Adam P. Dicker, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed chairman of the department of Radiation Oncology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Dicker is an international authority in radiation oncology, drug development, and the treatment of prostate cancer and brain tumors.

Dr. Dicker co-leads the Radiation Research and Translational Biology Program at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. In addition, he serves as director of the Christine Baxter Research Laboratory for Experimental Cancer Therapies at Jefferson Medical College. He has been a principal investigator of a significant number of “first in human” developmental therapeutic trials involving novel signal transduction agents and radiation therapy.

Along with his colleagues at Thomas Jefferson University, Dr. Dicker has developed new approaches to radiation therapy for the treatment of cancer. They have successfully translated their findings from the laboratory to the clinical setting. They have also discovered creative ways to understand and implement strategies to protect normal tissue that surrounds tumors, by taking advantage of novel model systems, such as zebrafish.

“We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Dicker has been chosen to lead our department of Radiation Oncology,” said Mark Tykocinski, M.D. the Anthony F. and Gertrude M. DePalma Dean of Jefferson Medical College, Senior Vice-President of Thomas Jefferson University, and President of Jefferson University Physicians. “After conducting an extensive nationwide search, we are excited to welcome to our team an individual who demonstrates exceptional leadership capabilities, quality of care and dedication. Dr. Dicker is a consummate physician-scientist, excelling as a clinician, teacher and investigator.”

“Dr. Dicker balances his award-winning laboratory research with the delivery of excellence in patient care, while maintaining various leadership roles within this institution and within the regional and international medical community,” said Richard Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson and Associate Dean for Cancer Programs.

Since joining Jefferson Medical College in 1996, Dr. Dicker has pioneered and developed advanced treatment programs using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), image-guided radiation therapy and prostate brachytherapy. As a leader in the field of prostate brachytherapy, Dr. Dicker, along with colleagues, helped define critical issues in the field by publishing numerous papers and two comprehensive textbooks.

Dr. Dicker serves as the chair of the Translational Research Program in the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). He oversees all translational research for eight solid tumor disease sites and quality of life/outcomes. He has provided leadership in defining new therapeutic strategies, focusing on the integration of novel signal transduction therapies.

In addition, Dr. Dicker formerly served as Chair of the Radiation and Cancer Biology Committee of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology. He represents the RTOG on the National Cancer Institute’s Investigational Drug Steering Committee of the NCI Cancer Treatment Evaluation Program. Dr. Dicker also serves as a consultant on cancer to the European Commission, the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Italian Association of Cancer Research.

“Dr. Dicker has a distinguished reputation as a physician leader, educator and scientist,” said Thomas J. Lewis, President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. “We look forward to working with him as he takes the helm of one of the oldest and most distinguished departments of Radiation Oncology in the country.”

“For more than 40 years, this department has made major contributions to the field of Radiation Oncology, spanning basic, translational and clinical sciences,” said Dr. Dicker. “The first chair of the department, Dr. Simon Kramer, started the RTOG and pioneered many of the treatments that we are using today. The training programs have produced many of the past and current leaders in radiation oncology and medical physics. I look forward to working with our terrific faculty and staff to excel in every aspect of our mission.”

Dr. Dicker’s reputation in research and clinical practice have him ranked among Philadelphia magazine’s “Top Docs” in Radiation Oncology, and Castle-Connolly America’s Top Doctors for Cancer. He has published extensively and has more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters. Dr. Dicker also serves on the editorial boards of Clinical Cancer Research, Cancer Biology, BMC Cancer and Radiation Oncology.

Dr. Dicker received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Cornell University Medical College. He earned his undergraduate degree from Columbia College of Columbia University. He completed an internship in Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, and a residency in Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

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